Egg rearranging and feeding device



Nov. Z1, 1950 c. PAGE EGG REARRANGING AND FEEDING DEVICE Original Filed Aug. 29, 1947 attorneys l mul,

C/czrece Rg@ fmmmaw Patented Nov. 21, 1950 UNITE-o STATES L:l-raiE1-NT kor111er.

2,531,292 EGG REARRANGING AND EEEDINGDEVICE Clarence Page, Detroit, Mich., assig'vnor to'Page 'and"Cox,Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Michigan a s .Original application August,29, .1947, Serial No.

771,227. Divided and thissapplication October 19, 1948, Serial No. 55,338

This invention relates to machines for grading articles according to their weight andjin particular, to egg-grading machines.

Y One obj ect of this invention is to provide an egg- `to stick as a result of clogging by Adirt'or 'other `foreign matter. To eliminatethis vdifiicultyfthe 'modified egg-feeding unit25 shown in'Figures 1 'to 3 inclusive has been provided. The egg-feedrearranging and feeding device rwhich separates 5 ing -unit 25`is' mounted upon legs Y26 kwhich 'are from one another the eggs delivered to it, rotates 'interconnected by an angle member 21 ('FigureZ) them positively and forcibly while conveying them s Supported by. the anglememberjZ'I is a cross vmemalong separate paths andtur'ns them until their ber 28 which 'inturn supports horizontal `strip-- long axes are horizontal, thereby separating the ping iin'gers'ZS which' strip the bottoms or kilats eggs into laterally spaced Vrows 4with all the eggs l0 from the 'fillers or egg-containers in which the lying in horizontal positions.

Another object is to provide an egg-rearranging and feeding device as set forth inthe preceding object, whereinthe eggs while being conveyed are eggs are received. j The action of these stripping fingers 2e vhasbeen v'describedin my co-pen'ding application Serial No. 718,755 previously vmentioned.

carried along diverging paths and deposited upon 15 The egefeedirlg unit 25 (Figures 1 and2) inlaterally spaced supports from which they may cludes afframe formedby apair of vertical chanbe picked up and carried to further egg-processing 'nel members 33 mOUited 011 the upper eldSvOfthe stations. legs with their channel portions facingone Another object is to provide an egg-rearranging another. The channel members 33 are interconand feeding device, as set 'forth in the preceding 20 nected at intervals by upper and lower angle objects, Awherein the eggs are forcibly rotated by mechanism which operates in response to the travel of-the'eggs themselves as they are conveyed through the machine. Y

This applicationfis a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 771,227, led August 29, 1947, for Adiustable 'Range'Egg-Sorting Machine,

which is itself a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 718,755 filed December 27. 1946, for Egg-Grading Machine, which on September 6, v194:9, matured into U. S. Patent No. 2,481,449.

lIn the-drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an egg-rearranging andieeding device according to a-preferred form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the egg-rearranging and feeding device shown in Figure 1, partly broken away to disclose the positive driving mechanism for the egg rotating and conveying shafts; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

In said co-pending application Serial No. 718,755, I have disclosed a device which receives eggs from the containers and conveys the eggs along diverging pathways while permitting them to rotate until they are rearranged with their long axes horizontal and deposited upon laterally spaced rests or supports While remaining in their horizontal positions.

Experience with the egg-feeding unit 4D as disclosed in said co-pending application Serial No. 718,755 has proved that the spools thereof upon which the eggs are rotated while being fed tend Il l) members34 and 35 which in'turn supportupper and lower diverging guide rails 36 and 31 respectively (Figure 3). The lower 'flanges ofthe channel members 33 are separated s from the lower 'angle members35 by spacing-members.

",VBolte'd to the channel members 33 attheirforward and rearward ends are pairs of alignedbearingbushings139`and 40 respectively,'in which are journaled cross shafts'liland 42 respectively. The

shafts 4I and 42 carry vsprockets 43 and 44 respectively,'these being encircled' by endless chains "45. The endless chains `'45 at intervals areiinterconnected by 'rods e6 carrying capstan'fshaped rollers or spools '41. `The spools 4'! are'keyed or splined to the rods 46 as at"4laf(Figure 3) so as to be positively driven by the rods 46 while being slidable axially therealong. The spools 41 near their opposite ends are provided with annular grooves 48 engageable with the guide rails 36 or 31.

A cross member 4S extends between the lefthand end of the channel members 33 (Figure 1) and serves to support egg rests 50. The egg rests 5G consist of pairs of thin parallel bars 5I separated by gaps less than the small diameter of an undersized egg and having arcuate cutaway portions 52 on their upper edges. The right-hand ends of the bars 52 are positioned approximately in line with the grooves 48 of the spools 41. The channel members 33 at their left-hand ends rest upon an angle member 53 which in turn is secured to an angle member 54 mounted on legs.

In order to drive the sprocket chain 45, the shaft 42 carries an outer sprocket 55 upon the outer end thereof (Figure 1) this being driven by a sprocket chain (not shown) connected to the driving mechanism for the remainder of the eggsortng machine in a manner fully disclosed in my previously-mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 718,755. In order to positively rotate the spools 41 upon their shafts 46, each of the latter is provided at one end with a pinion 56 (Figures 1 and 3) which meshes with the teeth 51 of an orbital or elongated endless rack v58 (Figure 2). The rack 58 is secured by bolts 59 and tubular spacers 60 to one of the channel members 33 (Figure 3) so as to be accurately held in position. Y

In the operation of the modified egg-feeding unit 25 shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, let it be assumed that the cardboard fillers or egg-containers have been slid along the fingers 29 and that their bottoms have been removed by the latter. hand ends of the ngers 29, the eggs therein drop upon the spools |41 and come to rest between spools. Meanwhile, the rotation of the sprocket 55 and the consequent rotation of the sprockets 43V and 44 drives the sprocket chains 45 in an orbital path, carrying with them the rods 46. As thesemove along, the pinions 56 roll upon the teeth 51 of the orbital rack 58, causing the rods 46 and their spools 41 to be forcibly and positively rotated. In this manner, the spools 41 are prevented from sticking or binding, as occasionally occurs with free rotatable spools. The e'ggs are thus forcibly rotated as they are advanced to the left, causing them to reach the egg rests 50 with their long axes approximately hori- K zontal.

'1. As the spools 41 and their rods 46 travel toward lthe left (Figure 1), the guide rails 36engage the spool grooves 48 and cause theeggs to be separated into spaced rows, the eggs of each row nally coming to rest with their long axes hori- YZontal Yin the arcuate cutaway portions 52 of the egg rests 56. What I claim is:

' l. An egg-rearranging and feeding device comprising a pairof spaced endless flexible members v having shafts extending therebetween and connected, thereto, `a plurality of axially concave ,rollers'drivingly mounted on each of said shafts,

the length of the 'free portion of each shaft bebers. l y

As the fillers are slid beyond the left- `2. An egg-rearranging and feeding device comprising a pair of spaced endless flexible members having shafts extending therebetween and connected thereto, a plurality of axially concave rollers drivingly mounted on each of said shafts, the length of the free portion of each shaft between said members being substantially greater than the combined lengths of the rollers mounted on each shaft, said rollers being freely slidable axially along their respective shafts, mechanism for positively rotating said shafts in response to the travel of said endless flexible members, said rollers having annular grooves therein, and diverging guides engaging said grooves to effect divergence of said rollers in the direction of travel of said endless flexible members.

3. An egg-rearranging and feeding device comprising a pair of spaced endless iiexible members lhaving shafts extending therebetween and connected thereto, a plurality of axially concave rollers drivingly mounted on each of said shafts, the length of the free portion of each shaft between said members being substantially greater than the `combined lengths of the rollers mounted 'on' each shaft, said rollers being freely slidable `axially along their respective shafts, and mechanism'including pinions drivingly mounted on said shafts and a rack meshing with said pinions for positively rotating said shafts in response to the travel of said endless exible members.

4. An egg-rearranging and feeding device comprising a pair of spaced endless flexible members having shafts extending therebetween and connected thereto, a plurality of axially concave rollers drivingly mounted on each of said shafts, the length of the free portion of each Shaft between said members being substantially greater than the combined lengths of the rollers mounted on each shaft, said rollers being freely slidable axially along their respective shafts, and mechanism including pinions drivingly mounted on said shafts and an endless orbital rack meshing with said pinions for positively rotating said shafts in response to the travel of said endless exible members.

- CLARENCE PAGE.

. REFERENCES CITED ,The following references are of record in the le of'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 626,284 Lyons et al June 6, 1899 878,671 Richmond Feb. l1, 1908 1,439,698 Erdle v Dec. 26, 1922 

